The invention relates to a carbon monoxide venting system. More particularly, the invention relates to a system for detecting an abnormal level of carbon monoxide, and then activating a ventilation system to dissipate the carbon monoxide, while warning others of its presence.
Carbon Monoxide is a silent killer. The blood absorbs carbon monoxide instead of oxygen, and then is unable to release the carbon monoxide. Thus, the body is starved of oxygen as the blood is unable to carry oxygen from the lungs to cells throughout the body. Brain damage and death can occur quite quickly, especially when exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide. A person being poisoned by carbon monoxide is unaware of the danger, the only symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning is drowsiness, which leads to sleep and then death.
Despite the dangers to biological organisms from monoxide, it is still ever-present in our lives. Home heating systems create carbon monoxide. Typically the carbon monoxide produced is vented through the exhaust chimney. However, if the chimney becomes clogged with soot, dirt, and debris, carbon monoxide can escape into the home. Countless people are killed every winter from just this circumstance.
Automobile exhaust contains large amounts of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is therefore present in garages, and other locations where automobiles operate in relatively confined spaces. Despite the fact that the dangers of carbon monoxide in these environments is well known, countless accidents still occur every year.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,551 to Vole discloses a safety system for smoke and fumes. The unit in Vole detects fumes and automatically opens the garage door in response thereto.
Moreover, while Vole ""551 discloses an exhaust fan communicating with a carbon monoxide detector, it does not communicate with simultaneous shutdown of a building furnace, and does not include all of the salient features of the present invention, such as the alarm override reset feature, the flexible conduit and the rain shield with no moving parts. The moving flap of Vole ""551 requires springs and switches, and can possibly become sticky and less openable with dirt, dust and other natural clogging substances, such as airborne particles in the thin edges at its seams.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,271 of Shtanko is concerned with a carbon monoxide detector and fan for a motor vehicle. However, Shtanko ""271 does not describe such a detector and fan in a building structure, wherein the outlet of the vent is oriented downward, or where the detector and fan are located at a furnace source of carbon monoxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,980 of Hilt et al describes a carbon monoxide sensor for a furnace which shuts off the furnace when a threshold of carbon monoxide is detected.
However, Hilt ""980 does not describe or suggest combining such a system with an exhaust means to exhaust any carbon monoxide fumes before they are dissipated throughout the building.
In contrast to the system of Hilt ""980, it is important to rapidly dissipate any carbon monoxide, since carbon monoxide, while lighter than air, has a close specific gravity of 0.967 when compared to a specific gravity of 1.0 for air. In contrast, methane is a true lifting gas with a specific gravity of 0.554, so it will tend to lift, as when used in a balloon. Therefore, while carbon monoxide will initially rise since it is lighter than air, it will rapidly defuse throughout any portion of a room, and not just stay near the top of a room at its ceiling or roof, as methane does.
As a result there is a need not only to detect carbon monoxide and to shut off a defective furnace producing the carbon monoxide, but also to rapidly exhaust it from any adversely affected interior living space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,434 of Brooks describes a portable carbon monoxide detector.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,420 of Gonzalez discloses a smoke/fire detector which is connected to an alarm apparatus which shakes a piece of furniture, such as a bed, chair or other piece of furniture, to awake a hearing impaired or other person. In Gonzalez ""420, a smoke, fire or gas detector generates a signal that energizes an electric motor that produces vibrations which cause the bed, chair or other article of furniture to vibrate and shake its occupant. The shaking occurs when the rotary power of the motor engages a cam, which further engages a vibratory plunger located on an underside of the bed, chair or other article of furniture. However, Gonzalez does not describe or suggest the use of an exhaust fan to exhaust carbon monoxide when detected.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,498 to Wong et al discloses a ventilation controller, for regulating the concentration of carbon dioxide gas within a closed room, since the presence of carbon dioxide, as opposed to carbon monoxide, might indicate the presence of fire.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,319 to Kucharczyk discloses a room ventilating device which is capable of opening and closing vents when noxious gas concentration in a room rises above a predetermined level.
However, a limitation with some of these units is that they sound an alarm when a noxious gas concentration is present. Thus, if the gas concentration dissipates, the alarm stops sounding. Therefore, if no one is present to hear the alarm, a dangerous gas situation might never get the attention it deserves, and might not be corrected until tragic consequences occur.
It is an object of the invention to produce a carbon monoxide venting system which detects the presence of carbon monoxide and then activates a ventilating system to dissipate the carbon monoxide in response thereto.
It is another object of the invention to produce a carbon monoxide venting system which detects a dangerously high concentration of carbon monoxide, and issues a warning signal in response thereto, the warning persists until manually reset by the user.
It is a further object of the invention to produce a carbon monoxide venting system which provides a visual warning that the system has been activated, said visual warning persisting until reset.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a carbon monoxide venting system which is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install.
The invention is a carbon monoxide ventilation system, comprising a carbon monoxide sensor, a fan, and a vent. The carbon monoxide sensor supplies power to the fan when a threshold level of carbon monoxide is detected. The fan includes a motor and a propeller which draws air into the fan unit, and expels the air through the vent. The sensor also includes an indicating device which produces an audio or visual indication that the threshold level has been reached. The indication continues until reset by a reset button.
To the accomplishment of the above and related objects the invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Attention is called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only. Variations are contemplated as being part of the invention, limited only by the scope of the claims.